Youkai Mountain, Weeks Later

Sanae looked over the odd construction. It wasn't -perfect-, but they could fine-tune it later...

"I still don't know how you never thought of this. You live on top of a mountain, you worship some 'god of the wind', and about half of your neighbors have the ability to bend the wind to their command. You thought of hydroelectric dams, but not wind turbines?" Yumemi laughed. It had been her idea, naturally... whatever Chiyuri might say to the contrary.

"Well, the kappa are a bit easier to control than the tengu."

"Are you kidding? Those imps are impossible to work with! No respect for the scientific method at all. Not to mention its a miracle anything gets done when the inventor of a battery never talks to someone who would need a portable power source. All the -tengu- needed was to respect you."

Sanae groaned aloud. "-Please- don't remind me. If I ever drink alcohol again, my liver's going to grow arms, crawl out of my body and strangle me to death." She'd actually managed to outdrink Aya Shameimaru, but it had taken a bit of a trick. Yumemi had made some sort of compound that metabolized the alcohol as Sanae had consumed it. By insisting on only especially concentrated drinks, she'd managed to make Aya pass out drunk before Sanae's own stomach had burst. And though it had worked, even Yumemi's miracle drug couldn't stop -all- the alcohol; Sanae's hangover the next day had been debilitating. Factor in that she'd never been particularly fond of alcohol before, and she'd have sworn off the stuff entirely if Gensokyo didn't seem to revolve around it.

"Oh, that'd be worth recording. I'd like to see my colleagues explain -that- happening. Actually, nah, they'd probably say it was just some sort of biological engineering."

"Thank you once again for your help, Yumemi. I still think you're being too hard on the kappa. The others seemed to enjoy their company."

"Rika is an engineer, uninterested in knowledge... only in what can be done, rather than how or why to do it. Of course she'd prefer the kappa... she's practically one herself. And Rikako was simply drawn in by their showy displays. I suspect she'll realize its all empty bluster before long."

"We'll see, I suppose." Sanae wasn't sure about that... but Yumemi and Kanako worked well together, and that at least was a tremendous boon. It seemed that with Suwako 'guiding' the kappa and Rika, as much as they could be, and Kanako watching over the tengu... the civilization on Youkai mountain was already beginning to evolve rapidly. Already though, the two goddesses were becoming more focused on their own 'half' of the mountain youkai. Sanae had had to mediate a few minor disputes between them, but it seemed their relationship would remain stable and positive with Sanae's help. And Hiroyuki had found a place as well, keeping Sanae grounded among the monsters and gods she spent almost all of her time with. His presence, when he should choose to make it known, reminded her that in addition to being a shrine maiden and a goddess, she was still a human being as well.

"Sanae... it's time to eat. Come inside, please." Hiroyuki's voice clearly startled Yumemi, but Sanae laughed a bit as she turned to face him. He was only getting better and better at sneaking up on them, and Sanae was beginning to get used to his sudden appearances, at least. It kept her on her toes as well, thankfully, as Tengu were much less forgiving if she failed to spot them.

"Already? But we've only been out here for-"

"Ten hours. I've been waiting for you so we can eat..." Hiroyuki looked rather upset. He'd probably been expecting her to finish outside hours ago.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Pardon me, Yumemi." Sanae said as she stepped down. Had it really been ten hours? After she'd eaten she'd just gone to check on the wind generators. Then one of them had been broken, so she'd worked on that for a bit. She'd had to make a few runs down to the village. Then she had checked in with Suwako, gotten her some supplies from the geyser center, come back to the windmills, built an experimental new one with Yumemi's help... yeah, maybe it had been that long.

"Don't worry yourself. I should probably get down to the temple, anyway. I've got some more questions for Byakuren."

Sanae waved as Yumemi left. All things considered, things were going pretty well. Though Sanae was loathe to admit it, Satori had saved not only Suwako, but quite possibly the entire Moriya shrine by freeing them from the coils of the Mishaguji.

Myouren Temple

Shou relaxed as the crowd that had gathered to hear Byakuren's sutra dispersed.

"Another excellent reading! They seem far more attentive lately." Shou said as she approached Byakuren.

"I suspect many of them simply came to see whether or not I am indeed alive, but I perhaps upon seeing me well, many of their other doubts were cleared as well."

" I can understand seeing the 'dead' walk could having that effect." Shou thought back to when Byakuren had returned from death. Shou had investigated Mami's claims that Byakuren was dead, and found them to be true. Yet a few days later she'd returned safe and sound, though frustratingly quiet about what had happened, saying it was simply the Yama's decision that she was once again alive. Even more curiously, she'd been bearing the Scroll that had earlier caused such trouble.

"Praise the heavens, though. This temple might well fall apart without your guidance. You're the reason we're here, you know."

"I trust that you would be able to move on... but I -am- still thankful its not that time yet. There's still so much to do." Byakuren was about to say more, but cut herself short upon seeing that one other person yet remained in the room, unwilling to leave with the crowd.

"Can I help you?" Byakuren asked. She recognized Yumemi, naturally... it was her ship that had been given to Murasa, wherever she might have taken it. The ghost captain had taken to her new, bizarrely shaped vessel quite well. Oh, come to think of it, she was probably here for her payment...

"You owe me some more time, perhaps you've forgotten? And after listening to you for -one- hour, I feel like you owe me another -twelve-, but I'm willing to let it go."

"Oh, of course! Pardon me, Shou. I'll need to stop by Alice's place afterward, so don't wait on me, I probably won't be back for a few days."

"Take care. I wish you luck." Shou waved as Byakuren and Yumemi left, speaking to each other.

"Luck's got nothing to do with it. I'll find a way to work magic myself, then I'll have all the proof I need..." Yumemi had determination, but it simply hadn't been enough so far.

"I'm willing to keep instructing you, but... well, the magic I was most familiar with is gone, and you seem... really, very odd, yourself... you should have been able to work -some- by now. Even most of the villagers can fly under their own power..."

"And the only reason I even believe you is because I've seen them do so. I still can't believe most of you don't even have running water... or electricity... or even know what electricity -is-."

"Yes, I get it, we're a backwater valley with nothing to our name. Except, of course, magic, which you have none of. And I do mean -none-. Even the local rocks seem more attuned to magic than you."

"Right, I'm bad at using magic... so we'll just fix that problem. If I can't use my own magic power, maybe I can borrow someone else's to use or something."

"Well, that's certainly possible... especially with the sort of magic we're working on. We can try that tonight." Byakuren nodded. It ought to be a simple adaptation of the spell the magicians had used to gather energy for the moon transfer, just using the youkai essence within Byakuren, rather than the demonic energy of Shinki.

Byakuren had told Shou her revival was the Yama's decision, but truth be told, there almost hadn't been a decision for the Yama to make. If Satori hadn't made Byakuren summon her scroll... hadn't made her realize she even still could, then Byakuren would likely still be dead. Even worse, Shinki would still be on the loose.

Yet she hadn't seen the youkai for some time... she wondered how Satori doing, anyway. Judgment had probably already been passed, Byakuren supposed. Hopefully it had turned out well.

The Forest of Magic, Marisa's House, Late that Evening

"Sorry I'm late, everyone. Yumemi kept me longer than I thought." Byakuren stumbled in, looking rather exhausted.

"Well, it can't be avoided. She's welcome to come, you know. The absence of her magic is extremely curious." Alice spoke through her main body. She mostly kept it around as a courtesy so that the others had an obvious single person to listen to and speak with. It was as easy to move as her dolls had been before her transformation, and she found her puppeteering skills quite up to the task. Still, moving the dolls that now made up parts of her true form was far more intuitive.

"I might just do that. Though that does remind me, we actually managed to get her to cast a spell!" Byakuren's excitement fought with her exhaustion as she spoke.

"You aren't pullin' our leg, are you?" Marisa was especially curious, and Alice could guess why. If Yumemi could do it, then it would be possible for Marisa to do so as well. Lacking any youkai essence to draw magic from, the loss of Shinki and her magic had left Marisa an ordinary magician, less the magic.

"It's so obvious, I can't believe we didn't consider it beforehand! She borrowed some of my own magic... just like we borrowed the demons' for the moon ritual!"

Patchouli's eyes lit up for the first time since she had returned from the Netherworld. The others had found her near Alice's house, despondent and all but dead. "An external power source... Of course!" She had been despondent... her frail body had had little enough energy to cast magic using Shinki's power, drawing from her own youkai nature as Alice, Yuki, and Byakuren were able had proven impossible. Patchouli's body had hardly a spare breath to lend her magic. But now, much like Byakuren, an eagerness seemed to drive her. Hope guided her hands into a fold in her robe as she pulled out...

"The Philosopher Stone..." Marisa was equally eager. None in the room even needed to ask what Patchouli was about to try, though Alice noticed Yuki was paying particular attention. That was probably for the best... Yuki's magic had been even more focused than Marisa, and she had been lacking some very fundamental knowledge. Useless knowledge with Shinki gone, but knowledge that shaped the paradigm of the other magicians present nonetheless. Once Alice had filled her in on the terms and jargon they used, she had shown considerable insight... it had just taken a bit of time to get over that language barrier. Alice returned her own attention to Patchouli with concern.

Patchouli used most of her small energy pool to create a magic circle like that they had used across the boundary of the Netherworld, focusing its attention on the Philosopher's stone... a conduit of the primal energy of the world itself that combined the five earthly spheres of wood, metal, fire, water, and earth. She drew now on that energy, pulling into it the fire in the stove, the water in her glass, the metal nails in the door, the wood of the floor, and the earth beneath. Energy flowed into the stone, and with a few final gestures, some of that energy flew into Patchouli.

The change was immediately obvious... it was more profound of a return to life than when she had literally returned from the Netherworld by slipping through the border when Marisa's two bodies had brought it in contact with Gensokyo as Shinki was bound. She wasn't exactly -healthy-, no, but she was at least as healthy as she had been before succumbing to Medicine's poison.

"Ha -ha-! That's it! Nah, nah, it's even easier than that." Patchouli demonstrated her genius insight by foregoing the Philosopher stone entirely, instead setting up a draining spell to target the wood table they had gathered around. A couple more gestures, and the wood seemed to age and rot, collapsing within seconds, but Patchouli nearly glowed with energy.

"Alright, so I went a little overboard. This is more than enough..." Patchouli said as she gestured out the window with a spell on her lips. An earthen wall of tremendous height appeared, blocking the window and putting them all into a dim light cast from the stove.

"We've got it!" Marisa pumped her fist into the air. Finally, she could get back to work! "Ahhh, but an old table's not even gonna be enough for proper danmaku. Even my Hakkero's got limited power..." Marisa quickly reined in her excitement. "And spoiling the essence of water or earth could cause a lot of problems. I don't want an army of kappa coming after me, you know?"

"True enough..." Alice laughed, not yet discouraged. "But the earthly elements aren't the only sources there are, now are they?" Alice had plenty of her 'limbs'... the dolls that her consciousness was split across, sitting on the roof... and she channeled the warmth they received from the sun to her main body, and used a simple spell to transmute the energy, much as Patchouli had done...

She held now a small, easily sustained flame. It had once been a trivial cantrip, but fire demanded a lot of energy, and producing even a small flame had been extremely draining. Yet now the flickering flame held steady, supported by the sun's rays.

The others sensed the flow of energy coming from the roof, but naturally it was Patchouli who realized Alice's trick first.

"The sun... I think we found the solution to our energy problem. but I suspect... Alice, try another spell... one that manipulates water."

Alice nodded, and figuring they were a little low on water, directed the sun-granted magic towards the nearly empty pitcher, first pouring it through a spell to convert it to water. Alice had quite simply had the most magic practice lately. Her youkai essence seemed far stronger than Byakuren or Yuki's as a result of her transformation.

And much to her surprise, rather than water, a rather different liquid appeared in the pitcher. And set aflame the rotted wood it covered as soon as it had melted through the pitcher and evaporated the water left within... the molten rock dripped onto the floor, starting a small fire immediately it was only Byakuren's quick thinking that spared Alice's house from burning to the ground as she drained the essence of flame from the lava and the fires it had birthed, leaving nothing more than an odd rock formation on the ground.

"So... It seems we need to find an effective way to transmute the different elemental energies... Perhaps the moon has similar energy to draw from..." Every magician in the room was on board now. Their eyes lit up: they had just discovered new sources for the magic they'd lost, and it was time to plumb the depths of those resources. There was research to do.

The Scarlet Devil Mansion

"Pa... Patchouli?" Meiling couldn't have heard that right. One of the fairies she'd posted at the gate had reported seeing the magician approaching the gate... Meiling pondered for a moment what to do. If it truly -was- Patchouli... no, Patchouli was dead, wasn't she? Perhaps her ghost had returned to her home, then. It wouldn't be that unusual here in Gensokyo. If that were the case, the fairies Meiling had watching the gate would be woefully inadequate to deal with her. She could probably shoo the ghost away, but that would still mean dealing with the shrine maiden later to properly banish Patchouli's ghost. Maybe she'd just go and invite the ghost to come in and live as she had... No, that was too risky. Flandre had taken a liking to the library, and Meiling didn't want to lose the progress Udonge had made with the young mistress. She wasn't sure how Patchouli would deal with Flandre's presence.

Not seeing any other options, Meiling made her way to the front gate. En route, she directed a fairy wandering the halls to the room she had just vacated, commanded it to continue her cleaning where she had left off, and stabilized the suddenly confused fairy's aura as she did so. With Sakuya gone, she'd taken up the role of chief maid herself, though her methods were different. Her ability to actually make the fairies productive had managed to let her keep up surprisingly well with Sakuya's former job, but at times like this she wished she could just -appear- at the front gate as Sakuya was fond of doing. If she got there too late, who knew what damage Patchouli's ghost might cause?

Along the way she had to pick her path carefully. Although the repairs on the mansion were coming along well, they were far from completed. Entire hallways still lie collapsed in heaps of rubble, and several rooms were simply gone, crushed from Flandre's earlier mental breakdown. When Meiling finally opened the front door and gazed upon the gate, she wasn't exactly expecting the scene she saw. Clearly, neither was her guest.

"-Finally-! Sakuya, where is-" A brief pause made it clear that Patchouli was a little confused as she looked up from the gate she was examining upon hearing the door open. "Why are you dressed in one of Sakuya's outfits? Or at your post, for that matter" . She was hovering as she usually did, but seemed... well, happy, for one. And much to Meiling's surprise, alive... her aura was even healthier than before she had been kidnapped. Something had rekindled the dying spark her seclusion in the library had been smothering.

"Huh? Oh, Sakuya... she... wait, that happened after you died... You... aren't dead, though." Meiling struggled against shock.

"No thanks to you, although Medicine outsmarting you is hardly surprising. I escaped the Netherworld, and here I am. I simply needed to ensure I had magic at my disposal once again before I returned."

Meiling had had the disappearance of magic explained to her... it hadn't effected her in the least, as her own danmaku was drawn from her own Qi, but of course Patchouli would have noticed. How had she escaped the Netherworld? Wait, she just implied she had magic again... but-

"You look confused. Don't worry, I'll explain everything in due time. First, I couldn't find any traps on the gate or above it. I trust I can come in?"

"Of course! Of course! It actually is trapped but- Err... well, I mean, I should ask..." Meiling looked back inside, not sure how Patchouli's return would be interpreted. The last time Remilia had seen Patchy, she -had- torn her to ribbons. As for the traps, it was rather simple one. Meiling had lashed the auras of many of the strongest fairies to the gate. They were all but hardwired to attack anything that crossed the threshold without being cleared. Sure, they were simply fairies, but Meiling had invested a fair amount of time in training them and had managed to make them fairly skilled at danmaku. One had even come up with a spellcard to use. Guarding the gate was as much her responsibility as ever (Though the cook took occasional watches), and she intended to do what she could in that capacity.

"Fine. I trust you've taken over for Sakuya for some reason. We've quite a bit to tell each other, I take it. First, go and ask, I suppose. I may have some magic again, but I'm by no means eager to make an enemy of a vampire."

"Me neither... I'll send someone to let you in or turn you away... it... it'll probably be alright, though." Meiling entered the house, and again cursed herself for not being Sakuya. Patchouli could be inside drinking tea in a matter of moments if Sakuya were still here. Instead, Meiling had to look throughout the mansion. Nearly fifteen minutes later, she poked her head in the kitchen, and was nearly impaled by a steak knife flung in her direction.

"Oh, it's you, Meiling. Come to admire my work?"

Meiling shuddered and once again regretted her instinct to look at people's Auras. The new cook and gardener would have seemed pleasant enough to a normal eye, but her aura was dangerously wild. With how much as Flandre was stabilizing, the cook might well be the most hazardous member of the household. And Meiling had quickly learned not to read the -other- auras within the kitchen while a meal was being prepared...

"No." Meiling spoke as she collected herself. "I'm simply looking for the mistress, that's all!"

"I believe they were playing chess in the library. Her dinner is nearly ready, if you could tell her?"

"Of course! I'll be sure to let her know." Meiling was simply thankful she hadn't been asked to bring it down.

"Before you go, any trouble with my garden?" It had been a rather large transplant, but the Scarlet Devil Mansion how had a truly splendid looking flowerbed of unseasonably healthy sunflowers, though their auras looked... wrong, somehow. Afraid, almost, save that plants can't feel fear. Maybe it was just their owner rubbing off on them.

"None at all, Yuuka."

"Glad to hear it." The sound of an bone breaking and a young man screaming in agony punctuated the new chef's statement, and Meiling decided to leave Yuuka to her work.

The Library of the Scarlet Devil Mansion

"Yuuka says dinner is nearly ready."

"Ah, thank you, Meiling. We'll be up in just a moment."

"There... ah... is another issue. Someone's at the gate."

"Oh? And you haven't turned them away because...?"

"Well, mistress... it's Patchouli... and she's er... alive." Meiling explained, tensing up in case she needed to avoid a hastily flung rook or bishop. Flandre looked a little confused, but Remilia laughed heartily.

"About time. She's got quite a will to resist returning for as long as she did. Good on her. Allow her entry. Oh, and you should probably warn her about Yuuka or she'll probably keel over dead of fright." Remilia laughed again.

"Of course, mistress." Meiling wasted no time in leaving the room. So good ol' Patchy had finally come back.

"What was that about? You never did tell me why Patchouli left..." Flandre questioned meekly from across the table.

"Its a bit of a long story. But how about I tell you how I got back, instead? It's related, and will save me some breath when I fill you in on Patchouli's absence." Remilia had given the excuse before, and Flandre seemed to accept it again now, thankfully. Flandre had been getting calmer and calmer. Indeed, the madness that had afflicted her sister for so long might finally be lifted entirely. That Udonge must be a genius... another year at most and Flandre would probably be fine on her own, at this rate. It was hard for Remilia to see Udonge as anything other than a pitiful, snivelling rabbit, but it was hard to argue with results.

"Ok!" Flandre had been asking about her sister's disappearance since they'd been reunited... apparently, Flandre didn't hold the removal of the protections Remilia had placed about against her... calming her down about the 'eyes' was probably the first thing Udonge had done. Remilia had slowly and very carefully explained some of what had happened, earlier, so she resumed where she had left off.

"Well, once Shinki was gone, I realized I had the whole moon to myself! Well, once I killed Yuuka, of course."

"Isn't Yuuka our cook now? You... uh, didn't kill her, sis."

"I'm getting to that! At least try to wait more than a few seconds to interrupt me... Now, Yuuka and I fought over who would gain control of the moon and its inhabitants. Naturally, I wasn't going to lose to a little youkai like that, but... well, we did fight for a while."

"So... how did you win? You didn't kill her..." Flandre couldn't help but point out the obvious.

"Well, see, we fought, but we couldn't decide on a clear victor. I think it was... hmmm..." Remilia tried to recall... that fight had been an intense struggle, but the occasional glimpse of the Earth above them gave her a bit of a clue as to the length of time it had taken. "About two weeks we fought? By that time we were both getting a bit tired, and finally noticed that there... well, wasn't much of a moon to fight over."

"Ah... kinda like what happened to the mansion, then?" Flandre realized the damage she'd done, but didn't much care. Really, without any way to know just which rooms were lost, Remilia had taken the opportunity to redesign the mansion anyway, this time with some of Flandre's input. Thankfully, whatever effect the old head maid had put into place seemed to linger, allowing far more space than one might think.

"Not quite... there wasn't really rubble, either. All the demons seemed to have vanished before we'd even started fighting, and from what we found later, it seems everyone else had vanished to some realm or another, or perhaps simply become very good at hiding. They were probably rightfully terrified of Yuuka and I and simply fled when they saw us battling in the skies. Without anything to really fight over, and having fought for so long, we were beginning to grow a little bored. Really, after the first week or so, we'd seen most of the tricks the other had to offer, so there just... wasn't much point." Remilia recalled the blind, murderous pride she'd felt. While refreshing,a couple weeks of violent indulgence had burned her out.

Thankfully, the villagers remained properly fearful, which made walking among them ever so fun, though she still got a particular thrill out of kidnapping a few to make them watch Yuuka preparing dinner. It not only kept the villagers in their place, but also provided a touch of hope that helped season the fear-laced blood of the sacrifice. Yuuka really was a terrific cook, knowing how to handle the vegetables and other raw materials perfectly to bring out their best flavors.

"Ok. I think I get -why- you came back-"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I'd have come back to check on you, probably even invite you up to the moon. You know, if it had been interesting in the least. It wasn't, so I came back rather than bringing all of you up there."

"-but you still haven't answered -how- you did it..."

"You have Yuuka to thank for that. It seems she'd forgotten she could do it until we reached the moon or something. The details are fuzzy, as she took us into the dream world-"

"Why would she take you? Weren't you fighting each other?"

"I made her, of course."

"But... you never won, you said." Flandre seemed confused... Remilia laughed as she explained.

"Have you forgotten I bend fate itself to my will? She wanted to leave the moon, so I simply ensured that she couldn't without bringing me. In any case, we found a dream you were having of me, and came out through that. I can't say I'd like to return to the dream world... it was confusing." Remilia had no idea how Yuuka had found their way to one of Flandre's dream, nor of how long it had taken... unsurprisingly, like most dreams, the time she'd lived within them had swiftly faded from her own memory.

"Oh... I'd like to go through it, once I'm all better." Flandre said wistfully. At least she -realized- she wasn't well, which was a vast improvement over where she had been before.

"Well, we can talk to Yuuka about it. She herself didn't seem too impressed by it, but we could arrange something. Now come along, it's time to eat, and then you should go and meet with Udonge. Who do you want to take you there? Meiling, again?" Remilia realized it would be best for both vampires if Remilia wasn't the escort; they'd step on each other's feet too much, so to speak. Meiling was the only other person able to control Flandre reliably at first, so she'd simply taken to the position.

"Ummm... I was thinking I might... try going alone, if that's alright?" Flandre looked hopeful as Remilia considered the request. Considering Flandre's recent stability, perhaps it wouldn't hurt. It might even do some good... and it would no doubt scare the daylights out of Udonge, the very thought of which amused Remilia.

"I think that would be alright. Just remember; don't make too much of a scene." Remilia wasn't too keen on having her sister overshadow her own influence. And if Flandre did anything other than simply go to Eientei, that's what would happen. The younger vampire had an impressive presence, and Remilia was doing her best to make sure it grew in a separate direction from her own. Vampire egos needed plenty of room to grow, and her sister would be no exception.

Eientei

"Hello? Is Udonge in?" Flandre's voice echoed through the halls.

"Yes, I'll come get you!" Udonge hollered back, before returning attention briefly to her patients. "Its time for her therapy, I suppose. I'll be right back." Udonge left the room swiftly and confidently.

"She's looking better than ever, isn't she?" Kaguya broke the silence before it had more than a few moments to grow.

"Perhaps all she needed was some work to do." Eirin couldn't dispute Kaguya's statement, though. Her former apprentice had grown considerably. Eirin's mind felt clearer than ever before, and progress on the Hourai Antidote was coming along well. Of course, the whole thing would be impossible without the help of Flandre.

"Well, no shortage of that. She's got her hands full with Flandre and ourselves. What -is- she though, anyway?" Chang'e still wasn't sure what to think of the strange creature that was helping them.

Eirin shrugged. "I'm still not sure. I've thought about it, but I've never seen anything like her. I suppose she's her own sort of Youkai, now." It wasn't all -that- unusual for new youkai to be born, but changing into a whole new sort from one already known? She'd never seen it before, but then few indeed were the youkai that had lived the life Udonge had... and it ought to be possible. Lacking other explanations, that was likely what happened.

"Well, I guess she's just 'The Udonge' then, eh?" Tewi piped up. She occasionally poked her head in the room, but she was still busy tending the affairs of the rabbits that lived in and around Eientei. Thankfully, she'd had no issues with the Lunarians moving back in.

"She wouldn't be the first to go by her species' name." Satori had done the same, of course, though Eirin had never had an opportunity to ask how that situation had come about. Or for that matter, what else that youkai might have pried from the Lunarian's damaged mind. The world-in-a-pot incident made it clear that Satori may have jumped to some other poor conclusions as well. Of course, Eirin wasn't particularly eager to surrender all her secrets, so she'd have to work through a proxy. Perhaps Udonge would be able to ask Satori Eirin's questions.

"'Udonge' it is, then!" Tewi's proclamation range down the halls as she left... to spread the word? To watch the rabbits? To cook? Eirin honestly had no idea where Tewi went off to most times, and it simply wasn't worth keeping track of her. She'd been willing to accept Eirin's apology for failing to contain Medicine, though it had taken some bargaining. The rabbits now possessed a mutant strain of grass Eirin had developed which grew at phenomenal rates. There would likely be a population boom before long, but Eirin was sure Tewi wouldn't let it get out of hand.

"Hello again, everyone!" Flandre curtsied as Udonge led her into the room. Udonge looked a little nervous. Noting that Meiling was absent, Eirin didn't need to guess why.

"And a good evening to you, Lady Flandre. I hope your session goes well today. We're hoping soon you'll be able to help us with a project we're working on. How would you like that?"

"Well, I'd have to know what the project is, but maybe it could be fun." Flan tensed slightly at the suggestion, wary and somewhat afraid.

"We'll tell you more about it once you're a little more ready for it, then. It won't really be an easy thing. For now, have fun with Udonge."

Udonge gave Eirin a look that needed no words to convey its meaning. 'Don't give her ideas'.

"Come along, Flan. Very good job getting here all by yourself. Many people find the Bamboo forest difficult to navigate. Soon you'll be able to walk about freely all the time, I'm sure." Udonge's soothing words seemed to relax Flan on the spot and she obliged, following Udonge into a side room.

Knowing they'd be a while, Eirin and Chang'e went back to work. They already knew they wouldn't be able to make an antidote without Flandre's involvement, but distilling the vampire's power into a potion would likely prove difficult, even with Eirin's ability. Dosage would have to be carefully considered, and of course trying to bottle the essence of destruction itself would require a rather special container. There were obstacles to overcome, but the two had plenty of time to sort it out. Every night they got a little closer to solving one problem or another with the Antidote. Even once Flandre healed, though, it would likely take years or decades to make something they were willing to risk consuming. Working with infinity required some finesse.

Udonge led Flandre out of the room; the only sign that caused the two Lunarians to notice that the night had passed.

"Alright, now hurry home, Flan. Sunrise is in an hour or so, and Remilia-" Udonge was interrupted by Flandre doing as she was asked and skipping out of Eientei at an unbelievable speed. Udonge relaxed, clearly having been rather tense for several hours.

"I'm going to sleep. You two should remember to as well. You're a lot harder to treat if you haven't been sleeping properly."

"Weren't you going to meet with Rin, today? We should get her input on the elixir. She might be able to help neutralize its effects." Eirin reminded her former apprentice.

"I'll do it this evening. I just spent a night with an unchaperoned Flandre. I'm sleeping." The fatigued and clearly rattled Udonge would brook no argument as she staggered to her room.

"We should probably do as she says, too. No sense rushing this: better it be done right than fast, no?" Chang'e suggested.

"Well spoken." Eirin nodded in agreement as she went off to her room. Udonge had gone so far... and done so much for her and Chang'e. Yet Eirin still didn't know what had caused her to gain such confidence. Whoever or whatever it was had done the Lunarians a great service, one that Eirin would like to repay someday. She still had a past to atone for, and a lot of work to do before she could even begin, but thanks to Udonge's treatments, she could finally begin that work.

Hakurei Shrine

"Weren't you going to go meet with Kanako again today?" Reimu asked of her annoyingly persistent guest.

"I'll get around to it. Oh, don't worry, you know you you'll miss me once I move up to the mountain." Rin Satsuki couldn't help but tease Reimu: she just made it so easy.

"Don't count on it. You're actually going to take Kanako up on her offer, though?"

"I've seen crazier ideas work out. Who knows, if it goes well, I might even ask Udonge to join me. Kanako certainly seems to take good care of her shrine maidens, and it's not like I'm afraid of some -tengu- of all things."

"Still, a youkai shrine maiden? She's mad, I tell you."

"Perhaps, but she's a fair sight more sane than some of the other madwomen I've seen around here, I'd wager." Rin sipped from her cup as she spotted something flying up the stairs to the shrine.

"Well, speaking of Udonge..." Rin turned to her host and indicated her teacup. "There's some more tea for her, right?"

"Of course" The shrine maiden rolled her eyes as she responded. In no hurry, she got up and entered the shrine, probably to take a few steps away from Rin as much as to get the tea. Rin had to admit she was an exhausting companion... few indeed could match a Kirin's vigor.

As she landed, Udonge yelled out a simple "Hello, Rin!" They'd kept in touch ever since Rin's rebirth, but when Rin had first heard Udonge planned to treat Flandre's madness, she had never expected to see the former rabbit ever again.

"Same to you. I still can't believe you've managed to avoid getting killed." Rin laughed as she replied...

"We've got Meiling to thank for that.,.. oh, but Flandre's getting much better, now!' Why, just last night she came over without even needing an escort!"

"I'd have loved to see the look on your face when she did." Rin laughed aloud, and Udonge's nervous chuckle confirmed Rin's suspicions. Well, at least Udonge wasn't foolish enough to think Flandre was no threat at all, yet.

"I... I was just caught a little off guard is all!" Udonge huffed as Reimu returned. "Oh! Hello, Reimu!"

"Don't sound so surprised. I -do- live here. What do you want?" Reimu offered Udonge a cup a tea, which she happily accepted and tested before answering.

"Well, with Flandre's rehabilitation coming along so well, Eirin wants some words with Rin... she seems to think you might have some ability to help dispel the Hourai elixir?" Rin was nearly stunned at Udonge's words, but not for their content. She'd suspected Eirin would ask for her help eventually. No, what struck her was Udonge calling her former master by name. When they'd shared a mind, it had always been 'master this' and 'master that'. Rin took a few moments to collect herself before replying. Udonge didn't seem to realize what she had done.

"Ah... restoring natural order to its victims? Maybe, but I thought they were going to use Flandre instead?"

"They're starting to think her powers alone would consume whoever was affected by them, but... you know, you... kinda weren't?"

"I most certainly -was-!" Rin stood and shouted. The few memories she had of that place were nightmarish, and she preferred not to be reminded of them, it seemed.

"Right! I know!" Udonge used her powers to help calm Rin, allowing her soothing voice to work its magic. "But I mean, you came back. And only you ever managed to do so. Well, and me, but that was only because of you in the first place. And Satori and- alright, look, the idea is that they could maybe use your essence to stabilize the antidote."

Rin's panic had already begun to subside thanks to Udonge's calming tone. She sat back down and replied. "Perhaps. I'm not getting near Flandre until she's completely stable, though. And to be honest, I might need you to help heal some of the trauma she's caused me. I don't think I could keep myself calm enough to think in her presence." Rin was all too aware that without Satori's intervention, she'd be stuck 'outside' once again, unlikely to ever return.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! I'll let the others know, and of course I'd be willing to help you get over your fear." Udonge settled down and began to drink her tea more earnestly as they watched the sun arc towards the horizon.

"Yes, well, we're not starting that until the fear is no longer justified, so focus on one thing at a time. Besides, you've still got Toyosatomimi and Reisen to treat, remember... probably that former celestial, too. The village will only be willing to house them for so long. So take your time with them, I'm in no rush..."

Reimu spoke out at that... "Of course, I don't mind you loitering here at all. You're just -such- great company and all." The sarcasm couldn't be clearer.

"Better company than you." Rin stuck her tongue out at the shrine maiden. "At least I actually -talk- to Genji."

"Who?"

"Exactly." Although Rin was reminded of another being she'd known before her destruction. One she'd so far only met while sharing Udonge's body. Although the Mima Udonge seemed to have met was doubtless the same sort of abomination, she didn't seem that bad. Come to think of it, she felt for a moment like she sensed Mima, but the moment quickly passed, and she was left with her thoughts. In any case, Udonge's experiences with Mima led Rin to believe that perhaps she ought not have been sealed. She decided to keep the fact that she was free from the Yama. She would know soon enough regardless, and perhaps if Mima had a strong enough following by then she could lead to some reform in the Ministry rather than just getting locked away again.

And after having been banished for decades beyond space, Rin couldn't help but feel there were a few too many loopholes already in place anyway.

Near the Hakurei Shrine

"That was close." Mima said. "I wondered if she would turn on me for a second there. Her getting in my way could ruin everything."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. If worse came to worst, we could just seal her away." Seiga laughed quietly. "We'll be fine. And see, she hasn't acted against you yet, so everything's fine."

"Well, as fine as we make it, yes. Let's go back to the village..." For some reason, Mai never felt comfortable when her two masters were together. Seiga had apparently met Mima a few days ago, and they'd hit it off extremely well. Mima was proving a competent teacher, but Mai never felt secure when the two were working together. Something sat wrong with her when she saw the pair conspiring.

"Ah, not yet, Mai. We've got a task for you. We want you to check in on someone else who might cause us some trouble later. Look in on Miko Toyosatomimi."

"Didn't you say she lived nowhere or something like that? How do you expect me to find her?"

"I've got a sort of a 'key' to the nowhere she dwells within. You'll do fine. Just remember, if you -do- get caught, You don't know us. You went of your own volition. Afterwards, you will return here." Seiga spoke clearly and forcefully, though she doubted Mai noticed the magic in the latter words.

"Fine, fine." Mai conceded. Trying to go against her master wouldn't be a way to get any idea of the magic she was using, after all.

Seiga opened a rift in space with her hairpiece, and closed it as soon as Mai went through.

"Haha! It worked!" Seiga and Mima shared a laugh. "We'll have to thank those stuck up celestials at some point for letting us see the light, eh?"

"Before getting the Hisou no Tsurugi, I doubt I'd ever have thought of using someone's personality as a source of magic like this."

"Even if others find another source of magic, ours will come out on top. Who can resist their own self fighting against them?"

"Indeed... So now I ask..." Mima turned suddenly stern. "Why are you so interested in me?"

"Just as I said before. You're interesting, and-"

"I understand that you told Mai that same thing. And we just sent her blind into a likely trap against her will. -I'm- still here... so why haven't you tried acting against me?" Mima couldn't help but be suspicious of Seiga.

"Simple... we want the same thing."

"I very much doubt that. You don't know my-"

"You wish to live without being born."

Mima was speechless. "What- How-?"

"It wasn't easy. I had to dig around an awful lot. But I know you were sealed in the Hakurei Shrine. I know how you lie outside the reincarnation cycle. The Ministry keeps rather good notes on this sort of thing, and I'll tell you, getting Yoshika in there to copy some of your files was rather difficult. They want you gone, and you're far too interesting a person to simply disappear, and I'm not on good terms the Ministry myself."

"And how did I get here, then? Tell me just how I managed to exist without ever being born or made?" Mima seemed confident that she alone knew the answer, and Seiga couldn't disagree.

"You have me there. If the ministry knew that, they'd probably have managed to undo whatever you did. As it is, they do mean to capture you, you know."

"Of course I know. They've hounded me throughout my existence. Well, I'm not about to get tied down to some corporeal form because of their silly rules, nor will I flee existence; it's far too fun to be here. I don't see why I should jump in their swimming pool when everyone in it is trying so desperately to get out. And don't worry about not knowing how I came into being. If you -did- know, I'd have to destroy you."

"That would be just terrible. So now that we've gotten that out of the way, what say we begin turning this world around? After all, if there's no cycle for you to get thrown into, they won't have much reason to bother catching you, will they?"

"Hah, they'd be busy trying to file their paperwork about the whole thing, no doubt. As it so happens, I've already gathered several allies... I do think we'll be quite alright."

"One last thing... I hear she's dead, but that hasn't stopped others like Rin, so be wary of Satori Komeiji."

"Oh, I've heard of her, and I have no intention of getting near the devil. Hopefully she'll have the good sense to stay dead, but if not, we'll likely have to do something about her. I hadn't thought much of her, but destroying Shinki has shown her to be quite a threat."

"Indeed." Seiga had a score to settle with Komeiji, and destroying the Ministry she seemed to love so much would be but the first step. Between Mima's allies and their own mastery over this new magic, not to mention her own mastery of Tao and Mima's unique nature, it would simply be a matter of time. No one made a fool of Seiga Kaku, least of all one of the Ministry's drones.

Senkai

"And what have we here? A snoop?" Miko wasn't used to uninvited guests, and this one just set off all sorts of mental alarms...

"No! I simply wished to join you! You have so much to teach!" The blue haired girl said, but... something wasn't right. Miko could tell the girl spoke the truth and earnestly wish to become a disciple of Miko, yet something still just seemed off.

"Then why did you not meet me at the Mausoleum? That is where most of my disciples begin to follow my ways. How did you learn of Senkai?" While Miko hadn't exactly kept the existence of Senkai a -secret-, neither was its existence common knowledge, let alone how to get here.

"I heard its where you sometimes go, so I just... came here." The young girl seemed rather confused.

"I see. Do you know Seiga Kaku?" Miko's initial suspicion seemed most likely. Tojiko and Futo would have come with the girl, but Seiga had plenty of reasons not to.

"No. I've never met her... who is she?" The girl was telling the truth, no doubt about it. Even Seiga would have reacted to a question as blunt as that. Perhaps she really had simply wandered in here... it was how Miko herself had found her own way here, after all.

"I see... In the future when you wish to meet with me, it's better to simply leave a message with the others, though I congratulate you on finding your own way here." Perhaps the girl had some potential... she -was- only the second person to have gotten here without guidance.

"Thank you! I'll try and do that from now on, sorry." The young girl apologized, but Miko didn't sense even a little guilt from her.

"What was your name?"

"I'm Mai. I'm a magician, but... well, magic is kind of..."

"Ah, my condolences, then. I'll send you back home... go and talk to my disciples so they can give you the basic rundown before we get into the more complicated stuff. I look forward to seeing more of you." Miko had every confidence that Tojiko and Futo would be able to start this one on the right path. The trio had grown much closer since the incident, thanks to Satori's meddling.

"Same here!" Mai said, waving as Miko sent her out through a hole... the human village was a safe enough bet, she figured... Miko still couldn't believe she sensed no deception in the youth. The only other person that was so honest was Satori, and it clearly hadn't been her, though Miko found the youth's honesty refreshing.

Still, Miko wondered... how -was- Satori doing? Probably judged and already moving on in the cycle, she supposed, but there was a very easy way to check if she was at home, at least. She listened through a rift; doubtless someone at Satori's home would know.

Chireiden

"Everything's running smoothly, Youmu... but... I mean... I don't suppose you've heard word-"

"No! I have no idea where your master is! Stop asking!" Youmu shouted, and Orin fled... she was doubtless just worried, but Youmu was getting fed up with the question. For weeks now, she'd been trying her hardest to keep the spirits within hell from breaking free, and all she ever heard from the pets that actually ran the place was 'where is Satori'! As much as the youkai had done, Youmu was still getting sick of hearing her name. She was doing just fine preventing escapes, so why couldn't they just forget Satori already?

The door to Chireiden opened, and in a flash, Youmu was there, swords drawn. Chireiden had seen more than a few intruders. Once word was out that Satori was missing, plenty of undergrounders had gotten it into their heads to try and move into the enormous palace. Seeing Youmu with swords in hand appear at the door as they entered tended to turn most of them away. If not, a few minutes of sparring made it clear enough that Chireiden wasn't likely worth the effort to move in.

These two intruders, though, weren't caught off guard. Youmu had hardly a moment to move as a blade not unlike her own Roukanken sliced through the air. She parried the attack and hopped back to gain a bit of distance, but her attacker relentlessly pursued her. Quickly realizing the skill of her foe, she had little choice but to sheathe Hakurouken. While intimidating, she yet lacked the strength to use both blades at once in serious combat, and the way this was going, she would need the extra control.

Though sheathing her shortsword left her open for hardly a moment, she found her vest ripped by an entirely-too-close cut... another opening like that would be her death, but she remained unrattled. She'd been waiting for -something- to vent against, and whoever these fools were, she welcomed the opportunity to finally engage in some swordplay. With her grip on Hakurouken secured, she began fighting back, carefully reading her opponent's moves and steps, having an almost intuitive sense where one would lead to the next.

Soon, that intuition began to grow into an intense feeling of unease. Her opponent's moves were familiar. They lacked the vigor of her own steps, but flowed far more smoothly, more than making up the difference. Again and again, their swords cut only empty air. Even the few times Roukanken struck something, it was only her opponent's blade, expertly deflecting the attack to minimize damage to the blade.

Youmu's inhuman endurance let her keep it up for a long time, her focus purely on the fight. She'd been waiting so long for -something- to do apart from merely looking scary or chasing after ghosts with a brandished blade, and this was tremendous therapy. At least it would be if she won, something that seemed less and less likely as the fight dragged on. Every opening she'd seen had been a feint: one of several she herself knew intimately, and she wasn't going to fall for such a trap.

Yet even Youmu could tire, and after a half hour or so, she saw her opponent was pulling ahead. Her own less efficient strikes, parries, and dodges had expended every slightly so much more energy than her foe's, and after this length of time, that small difference had come into play as she began to slow. If things continued as they were now, she'd be defeated. Satori's home, which Youmu had sworn would be looked after, would be invaded.

Unwilling to back down from her promise, she changed tactics. In a single motion, she dropped Roukanken and drew forth Hakurouken in one hand and grabbed its reinforced sheathe with the other. She may not be as skilled as her foe was with a single katana, but it was only her diminutive stature that kept her from wielding her blades together... something that didn't hold her back at all when using her shortsword and its sheathe.

Immediately she jumped to the offense... Her earlier efforts were draining, and fighting with both weapons was far more so: one way or another, this fight would be over soon. Her opponent read the change in mood and changed to a more defensive stance, needing to expend a great deal more energy as well. The extra reach of the katana wasn't terribly helpful against Youmu's speed, strength, and extra weapon. The sheathe served as a fantastic shield, controlling her opponent's katana as she lined Hakurouken up for a shot... over and over, this happened, but each thrust was carefully and barely dodged It was clearly an effort to keep up with her, but she knew it was a matter of time before she ran out of energy.

Then that time came. Sensing an opening at long last, the katana thrust in. Youmu deflected the blow as well as she could, and it merely impaled her leg. Far better than the heart at which it had been aimed, and the hit had come at a cost; Youmu had been in the middle of a counter, and Hakurouken sliced the forearm holding the Katana... but it was a serious wound, and the pain of her own injury made her lose her focus, causing Hakurouken to fly out of her loosened grip with a swat from her foe's own injured arm.

Youmu shrieked in pain as she fell to the ground. She gasped for air, her energy expended. A foot pinned her to the ground as the sword was freed from its fleshy sheathe.

"You actually hit me? You really have come a long ways, Youmu. Ah... sorry about the injury..."

Youmu's vision swam as she tried to focus on her attacker. Why wasn't she dead? There'd been no signs of mercy during the fight.

"Who.. who are you?" Youmu's tired mind, spent from so much time focusing, was having trouble comprehending what it was seeing as her foe picked up Hakurouken. "Hey! Don't touch that! It's-"

"Our family blade, Hakurouken... Thank you for keeping it so well maintained. You've done well indeed, Youmu..."

"-Our-... wait, Grandpa? What? But..." Youmu's exhausted mind and body found this to be a little to much to digest, and decided right then to sleep on the issue.

Later

"So... I think that's everything." The woman who had identified herself as Yuyuko concluded. And Youmu had to admit, after that explanation, she was ready to accept the speaker was indeed her mistress, despite her black, long hair and sharper, more defined features. Because after well over an hour of explanation, Youmu still had almost -no- idea what she had said.

Yuyuko had somehow been relieved of her duty in the Netherworld and freed from the tree... and Youki had been off in demon realms hunting demons. At least, Youmu was -pretty- sure that had been the general idea.

"Sorry for... so, so much, Youmu." The old man spoke... Youmu doubted she'd recognize him if she hadn't noticed his spirit half floating around. "Most recently, sorry for not recognizing you... We had to fight our way down here from the surface... it seems like everyone down here is itching for a fight, so I just... entered a combat trance of sorts. You'll know what I mean, later. The Hakurouken pulled me out of it, so I suppose its a good thing you're skilled enough now to manage to hit me with it." Youki absently rubbed the bandaged cut.

"We have a lot of catching up to do... but first, we should go ahead and attend to the spirits. You'll heal quick, but I think you've earned some rest. My powers will work on the spirits imprisoned here plenty fine, I think." Yuyuko laughed. "It's not -so- different from the netherworld."

"No, no! I said I'd do this, and I -will-."

"Youmu, you already -have-. Let us take care of it for a few days. The Yama trusted us enough to tell us come here, and while I don't intend to spend my whole life down here, I think you can afford us that same trust, at least." Yuyuko laughed. Youmu slumped back in her bed. Like it or not, she wouldn't be a very intimidating force with her leg injured.

"Fine, go ahead. At least I won't need to listen to her pets for a bit."

"Let me guess: 'where is she'?":

"All the time! They never stop asking!" Youmu threw her hands into the air, exasperated.

"Hah, that reminds me of you when you were younger. 'Where's Grandpa?' It took you years before you finally moved on." Yuyuko got a chuckle out of her comment, flustering Youmu, and paining Youki, who sought immediately to apologize.

"I shouldn't have left you quite so early. I'd witnessed your genius with a blade, and assumed that that genius extended to the deeper concepts I'd been explaining. I'll try my best to finish what I left undone."

"Great." Youmu sighed, then an idea came to her. "Well, actually, if you could deliver a message for me, I'd appreciate it. Especially since I've got some free time now, right?"

"You most certainly do." Yuyuko and Youki nodded in agreement.

"Good good! Then just wait a bit... I want you to deliver a letter to Kourindou. Just give me some time to write it up!" Youmu grinned as she began doing just that. "And -don't you read it-, either!"

Kourindou

"I'll get it." Rinnosuke moved away from the pair at the table in his backroom. He stood up and walked to the front door, closing the rear one behind him to give them privacy. Someone had come knocking, and he couldn't help but find himself wondering just who would be here at this hour. It was nearly midnight, unless he was mistaken, and the full moon was getting awfully close. Youkai were becoming characteristically wild, so few would have the presence of mind to knock instead of smashing right through. Humans simply had the good sense to stay indoors for the most part.

So perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised to see a half-ghost standing outside the door, though this wasn't quite the one he was used to. The old man spoke firmly but not aggressively.

"This is Kourindou, right?"

"Yes, and I am its owner, Rinnosuke Morichika. Can I help you, mister...?"

"I am Youki Konpaku. My granddaughter entrusted me with a letter for you."

"Ah, well, come on in and I can read it and- wait, your granddaughter... Is she named Youmu, by any chance?"

"Chance hardly plays into it... there aren't a great many half-ghosts around, are there?" Youki said as he stepped in.

"Great... I already know what this is about then..." Rinnosuke opened the letter, read it quickly and silently as he closed the door and returned to his chair.

"As I thought. You might want to have a word with whoever passes for her teacher."

"I think talking to myself would do more harm than good... why though? I was told not to read the letter, but... well, if you read it aloud, I'm not really reading it, right?" Youki was curious now just what Rinnosuke was getting at.

"Oh gods, don't make me do that. I will tell you, however, that she seems to have some sort of affection for me. Ahem, akin to 'the mightiest rolling boulders pierced by a mighty blade.' I -think- she tried to write me a love letter, but if so, she desperately needs to work on her choices of imagery."

Youki winced. "Ah... I, well... -may- have skimped on parts of her education... its an oversight of mine I plan to remedy. My apologies for any trouble she's caused you. A love letter, though? Hells, is she already that old?"

"How should I know? I may be half-youkai, but that doesn't exactly give me a great deal of insight on how half-ghosts raised in the Netherworld mature."

"It wouldn't, would it? Sorry again to have bothered you with all of this. Do you have a reply you'd like to pass along?"

"I'll leave it up to you. I enjoy poetry, but she seems to enjoy killing it... all I ask is that you stop that."

"I will do my best, then. Thank you for your time." Youki said as he showed himself to the exit.

Rinnosuke locked the door behind him and returned to the backroom to find his guests still hard at work.

Keine looked again over the notes. They'd been through countless revisions, but even now it was still incomplete. "I just don't think this is going to work. Shinki was too involved in events... people are going to notice the gaps in knowledge, and they'll find her..."

Satori rested her forehead on her palms as she considered. She hadn't fully realized just how far Shinki had gone... how many people she had gotten involved with. "The yama tasked me with getting rid of Shinki, and I'm going to do it! She even let me return to life to finish the task. I'm not going to just quit, Keine! I literally -died- for this! -Twice-! I'm going to see it through!"

"Fine, but this is going nowhere! Even if we -did- manage to write a perfect 'script', its gotten long and complicated enough that there's simply no way we'd be able to finish in a single full moon; it would take at least another couple months to write this much history, and in that time, rumors we'd spread and we'd need to stop those, and we'd be right back where we started!"

"I know that, idiot!" Satori turned her eye towards Keine and Opened it, reinforcing her point. It worked as it ever had, revealing Keine's growing frustration as well as her belief that Satori was beginning to completely lose her mind. Satori Closed it once again, sighing... she hadn't realized she seemed -that- crazy, and being the target of Keine's frustration would be hard enough without reading her screaming heart. Satori took a deep breath before continuing.

"I'm sorry. I just... I've given so much to this... I can't let it go. You're right though, you know better than anyone: even with me helping to scribe it, it's just too much. I just can't think of any other options, though!" Satori rested her head on the table.

Rinnosuke came in and looked around. "Are you two still working? You've been at this all day. You need some rest."

Satori didn't need her eye to tell her it was Keine that Rinnosuke was mostly worried about. He was a willing enough host, but as far as he was concerned, Keine had simply brought a guest to help her with a project. One that it was clear was getting on both of their nerves.

"We'll sleep in a few hours... but we've got to figure out what to do. There must be a way to strike Shinki from history." Satori Opened her eye, probing Rinnosuke for suggestions once again, but he was a dry font as Keine at the moment, so she Closed it up. She was getting used to leaving it closed more and more, but she did still use it as a crutch, and in a situation as critical as this, she wasn't too proud to avoid using it if needed. It was a part of her, and a useful one, but not her whole being as it had once been. Keine noticed Satori's reading of Rinnosuke, though, as he moved to make himself comfortable at the storefront again. He knew a waste of effort when he saw one; the pair would go to sleep when it suited them and not a moment before.

"I'm still not sure I'm ever going to get used to you closing your eye like that. It's... I don't know... odd."

"I thought so too at first, but... well, it's kind of fun having it closed. Having conversations is like going through an obstacle course blindfolded... a very different sort of challenge, and I need to move a lot slower. Still, I can't deny it's exciting in its own way. I wish Koishi could experience this."

"Koishi? doesn't she... -always- experience it?"

"I can't be sure, but I don't think so. She seems to have lost a lot of who she was when she damaged her eye. Mine is still intact along with my identity. I just... sometimes can close it, is all. Maybe she does, though... its not like I can read her heart any more easily with my eye -closed-. I haven't even seen her since Shinki was sealed. Not that I can remember, anyway. She -does- tend to slip my mind, though." Satori began to muse aloud.

"Heh, shame we can't just poke out Shinki's eyes to make -her- forgotten. That'd make our job leagues easier." Keine chuckled. It seemed to be getting late enough that -anything- seemed funny.

"Haha! Yeah..." Satori felt herself relax at Keine's comment. It was clear they weren't going to get any more work done today anyway. Satori couldn't banish the bizarrely amusing mental image of Shinki with a satori's third eye. She leaned back in her chair, balancing it on its rear legs and reached out towards the image in her mind.

"It would be so simple if we could just..." Satori closed her hand over the imaginary Shinki's fake eye, shattering it. The realization hit her hard enough to knock her chair over backwards.

"Satori, are you alright? Be careful!" Keine offered a hand to help Satori up, and she took it, clutching her throbbing head with her free hand. That fall would no doubt leave a bruise, but it was a small price to pay indeed.

"Yeah, yeah, but I got it! Shinki -does- have an eye to destroy!"

"Well, I mean she's got two, but-" Keine wasn't sure what Satori was going for, but even with her third eye closed, Satori just couldn't resist interrupting.

"Flandre can see it!"

The Gates of the Old Netherworld, the Night of the Full Moon.

Yukari looked at the gates... closed shut as always, they had never been a serious impediment. Anyone able to reach them, high above the skies of Gensokyo, would have little difficulty simply flying over them. Truly, it was the barrier to the Netherworld that was the real obstacle, and Yukari had that removed that obstacle for now. These same gates had seen Reimu pass over them nearly two month's prior, and now they would see the end of not one, but two incidents.

"Ah, excellent work, Ran!" She saw the shikigami fly over the door, carrying Chen, who was wrapped around a tiny doll...

"What did you -do- to Medicine? She was -far- more difficult this time!" The nine-tailed fox hovered in front of Yukari, badly drained and beaten. Chen's wounds were extreme as well, but Yukari was certain they'd pull through.

"Clearly nothing next to our genius yet, even though I set the boundaries between her current and future self to decay. Satori seems to have undone that connection, so she's stopped 'catching up' to her future. Now all that's left is to send her to the time when she would actually be that powerful. A few centuries should do it, don't you think?"

"I can't say I look forward to having to deal with her then, but you're the boss." Ran, following Yukari's directions, used a minor spell to wrest the small doll Chen held free of her unconscious grasp. She looked it in the eye, and the venomous look she received back made it clear the doll would be -much- more interested in that subsequent encounter. Even now her strength had begun to recover, and she struggled to break free.

"Until later, Medicine Melancholy." Ran said as she threw the doll into the gap, closing it behind her.

"Excellent." Yukari turned around to the crowd behind her. "Now then, Satori should be here soon. She had something she wished to do, and asked for all of you to be present."

Satori assessed the crowd, ensuring all pieces of the puzzle were present. The core of the solution, Flandre, was thankfully present along with her sister. Remilia had doubtless insisted on coming along, but Satori would be using her third eye to make sure Remilia didn't try anything funny. Besides, her fate manipulation might actually be useful here. Udonge was present as well, to keep Flandre from losing control. For that matter, Satori wasn't sure how well she'd do in Flandre's presence out here. Flandre had taken weeks to begin to get over her issues, and Satori would suddenly once again receive all those same stimuli that had driven Flandre mad to begin with, but have mere moments to cope with them. Yes, Udonge's soothing presence would be a welcome comfort.

Beyond them, Keine was also present to offer her history writing ability to Satori if she detected any loose ends that needed to be tied together when Flandre's power was finished;If anyone would know whether Shinki's destruction had taken, it would be Keine. Reimu had been invited, but showed little interest in coming. Yukari had left her little choice though, and dragged her along. The look on the shrine maiden's face made it clear she would rather be back drinking tea. Surprisingly, Rin Satsuki was also present to watch. She felt unsure that Flandre's power could be used in any controlled manner at all, but Udonge had brought her to show her, in a sense, the results of Udonge's work with Flandre.

Alice was present as well. Satori, knowing her story, knew she had every right to be here, and wouldn't deny her. Besides, her new form and ability to coordinate her multiple bodies could be extremely useful. She had left all her dolls at her home and come only in her humanoid form, which she'd grown easily into. Satori, for one, appreciated the gesture. She wasn't sure what Alice's dozens of bodies would have felt like, but this was hardly the time or place to find out.

And much to the dismay of nearly everyone present, the Yama herself had decided to make an appearance to preside over the 'execution' of one of the ministry's mightiest foes.

"If you're ready, then yes. Just leave your mind open and concentrate on you powers, everyone... I'll coordinate us." Satori took a deep breath... I can do this. Satori slowly gathered her Qi around her third eye as she opened the chakra. She was rather drained otherwise, but that would soon change, given Rin's presence. Finally prepared, she started:

Satori Opened her Third Eye.

The first heart she heard, was, unsurprisingly, Reimu... even as Satori's third eye had hardly opened, the shrine maiden's overwhelming heart nearly drowned out the hearts of the youkai nearby. Thankfully, she had little on her mind apart from a sense that this would all be resolved soon enough and she could be done with it. Her simple but profound nature gave Satori a nice level mental environment on which to read the hearts of the others present. How long is this going to take? It's spring now, so why is it -so cold-!

If Reimu provided the environment, the Yama was the walls, ceiling and floor. She was focused entirely on Satori's task, keeping Satori's own mind from being lost among the mighty hearts that surrounded her. Satori seems to know what she's doing. And if anyone should know, it'd be her. Shinki ought not be a problem after this.

Rin Satsuki watched with mixed apprehension and fear, though upon noticing Satori's Qi shift dangerously, offered some of her boundless energy to give Satori the strength she needed... filling up all seven chakras in turn as Satori used the spare energy to force them open. Amazing... few are those who have such skill over their own Qi. I'm still not certain this is the right thing to do... Shinki's done a lot, from what I heard, but to be sent to that place and forgotten...? If the Yama approves, then there's more at stake than I realize. And if Satori's mastery over her own body is any indication, then at least she'll be able to control Flandre's power... better than the vampire herself, I'd bet.

Despite Rin's concerns, even Flandre's mind proved surprisingly whole. Rather than the frail glue Satori had 'fixed' Flandre with the first time they'd met, she was truly beginning to heal. Her multiple personalities still floated around, but found themselves in accord more often than not, and now in particular, seemed particularly focused. Finally I can use my power... I won't let it control my life... never again. Satori found the thought comforting... She hadn't been the only one defined by her power. The eyes watched her now, of course... the same eyes Satori would be targeting soon. Rather than their piercing gaze, they had the look of an audience watching a show; far more relaxed and unfocused on Flandre in specific. Doubtless part of Udonge's therapy at work, and Satori herself found them more intriguing then threatening now.

Remilia couldn't stop thinking about Satori. Not only had Satori single-handedly foiled countless of Remilia's plans... but she'd also freed Remilia from Shinki and Yuuka. Some of it had been Remilia's own fate manipulation at work, but even that needed a medium to work through, and Satori couldn't have been a better one if she'd tried. Weeks of battle on the moon had cooled her enmity towards the underground youkai. Satori had performed -marvelously-, and Remilia had to admit she'd met few others who could hold her attention for so long. Eventually though, someone will humble you, Satori Komeiji. Someone will show you that you are nothing. And I look forward to seeing you react when you find -your-self helpless. Satori grinned at the though. She'd been brought low all too recently, and Remilia had missed her chance.

On that note, Yukari had abstained from opening any gaps while Satori's eye was open. Thankfully, the thing 'beyond' hadn't noticed Satori's closed eyes, much as it has seemed unable to sense Koishi's. While Satori would be borrowing Yukari's power, it was going to be used for a rather different end. Ran's will was currently completely submissive to Yukari, giving Satori a sort of stereo version of Yukari's mind. I wonder if Shinki will be sent to that nonspace, or beyond? Rin returned, but Kirin are hardly a normal youkai. Well, that'll be my burden or no one's depending how this all turns out. Don't worry, Satori, if it ends up mine, I'll keep it quiet.

Keine viewed the world rather strangely when she was transformed. Wherever she looked, her mind began rattling off what had happened to it... to her, history was as a tinted window, coloring everything she saw. Gazing now at the gates to the Netherworld, she was awestruck by the length of history that realm had seen. And she means to relocate all it? All that's happened these past two months will hardly even be a footnote next to this history.

Udonge's heart was a far cry from the brittle, frail one Satori had first encountered. It now had a true purpose and drive. Udonge had matured into a full youkai, and a unique sort. Satori knew she would be fine as the lone member of her species... indeed, given the near-extinction of the Lunar Rabbits, perhaps she was better this way. Satori can do this. She's done so much for me. So much for -everyone-. She's made mistakes, but now... now we're here to help... now I -can- help. Udonge's unwavering faith and gratitude bolstered Satori's spirit.

Alice's heart had changed greatly as well, though in a different direction. While her spirit was the same, it was now cast of a different material, like a painting re-imagined as a stained glass window. Satori happily drew upon her legendary coordination that had only improved with Alice's transformation to begin tying together the elements she needed for Shinki's final removal... the several dozen magical 'hands' she now had access to might not even manage to suffice, given the complexity of the task before her. Finally 'mother', I'll be rid of your shadow. I've freed myself from your influence twice now, and soon, you'll never bind anyone ever again.

Satori first borrowed Yukari's power, focusing it on the Netherworld beyond the gate. She felt the boundary there... and using the Shinigami's power, adjusted it along every edge, collapsing the Netherworld as a concept to a point with near-infinite space held within, then linked it with Makai, collapsing that now-deserted realm as well. The Netherworld's history was easy enough to see then, and Satori used Keine's power to transfer the history of the old Netherworld to that of the new one that Sariel now presided over...

Next, Satori borrowed from Flandre, using the vampire's sight to locate the eye of the Netherworld, now combined with the eyes of all of its contents and the realm of Makai. The eye simply looked at her, a simple, unthinking gaze. Satori crushed that amalgamation, using Flandre's annihilating power to wipe the old Netherworld, Makai and Shinki, Goddess of Magic, from existence itself.

The crowd stood in front of the gate to the Netherworld, For the most part simply wondering why they were even here. Keine looked a bit curiously at the history of the Netherworld she was looking at the gates to. And what an odd place for it, too, in the middle of the skies of Gensokyo, and was finding some odd things in its history she'd never really thought about. It had, for instance, been ruled over by a ghost who couldn't reincarnate. That was for at least a thousand years! I suppose she must have had special permission from the Yama to keep the position like that.

Satori herself wasn't sure just what was going on... it was a rather unusual assortment of people up here... and come to think of it, what was she even -doing- on the surface? The Yama's heart and voice shared that question.

"Satori... what are you doing on the surface?" Why is she up here? I can't imagine the locals being pleased with it. The Yama's thoughts boomed in Satori's head.

"I... I don't know. I mean, I think I have some idea. I know there was something I came up here to do, but I just can't remember." Satori admitted as she looked over those present. When she locked eyes with Remilia, she recalled the many encounters they'd had. Remilia felt both a deep respect and loathing for Satori. Satori had thwarted several of her plans... not something easy to do, and inexcusable to boot.

Still, the results of the recent incident were clear enough in everyone's mind. They independently came to a common conclusion: They were gathered here to see firsthand that Medicine Melancholy had truly been disposed of by Yukari Yakumo.

Thinking on it, Satori recalled her purpose for coming to the surface, and found the Yama recalling it as well. There had been a great many spirits in the netherworld, and she'd been called on to serve as a temporary judge. She couldn't remember anything about the experience other than an extreme discomfort at the mere thought of it. It had been enough to convince her to come to the surface rather than face another day of it. She set out trying to resolve Medicine Melancholy's murderous spree. She sought Alice's help... Udonge had shown up... yes, it was all coming back to her. Remilia had killed Medicine, but that wasn't the end of it. Satori had done her own part in ensuring the doll was exposed in the Netherworld, which in turn allowed Yukari to collect her once she'd lowered her guard. Everyone present had had a part in the incident, either as a victim or a hero... or both.

Yet... something caught Satori's eye. Through Remilia's senses, she saw a binding contract between herself and Alice. Some sort of unresolved spellcard duel? It was similar, but... she couldn't remember what it was all about. Well, better not to mess with unexplained fate lines. Perhaps it was another life-link as Alice, Marisa, and Satori had earlier shared, or perhaps they'd simply grown extremely close thanks to the experiences they'd shared. If it proved a problem, it would be easy enough to cut later.

"Well, she's gone. Can we go back now? It's chilly up here." Reimu's teeth chattered, and Satori had to admit she could use some warmth herself. Satori's part in dealing with Medicine Melancholy had earned her the grudging respect of those present. She wasn't -popular-, exactly... most present would rather Satori not be among them, but the mild distaste wasn't nearly so bad as the outright hate she generally experienced.

"Yes. Thank you all for doing your part in resolving the incident. Have a safe trip home, everyone." Keine waved as she headed off. The villagers were especially on edge in the wake of Medicine's attack, and the youkai were more aggressive than ever, having been spurred on by her success... the village needed her now more than ever, especially on the night of a full moon. One by one, the others swiftly excused themselves, Yukari taking care not to open a gap near Satori... the being 'outside' was still a potential threat, of course, and Yukari thankfully took Satori's word at face value.

Soon, only the Yama and Satori remained.

"I thank you again for helping with this. Left unchecked, Medicine Melancholy would have gone out of control. Even Yukari underestimated her, it seems."

"As long as I can take a break."

"Of course. Oh, and the retired princess of the Netherworld and her servants have taken up most of your duties at Chireiden, so you should be able to spend your time as you wish for the next few decades at least. Your dedication to the ministry warrants that, at least."

"Truly? Maybe... maybe it was all worth it, then. Heck, I've even got a bit of a story in my head... perhaps I'll take the time to do some writing."

"Far be it from me to tell you how to spend your long overdue vacation time. Well, other than the obvious, being a Satori."

"Right, only read minds responsibly... I remember" Satori closed her third eye. "I'll try not to intrude on Yuyuko's privacy, but I make no promises. It's still kind of awkward leaving my third eye shut." Satori admitted as the Yama nodded in understanding.

"You're a marvel to have figured it out. I'd have never even thought it possible, and all it took was a little reflection. You've truly redefined what it means to be a satori."

Six Months Later, in Chireiden

"All done, sis!" Koishi handed her sister a book. Earlier, Satori had written her story of her time on the surface, and it seemed to inspire Koishi. Satori hoped that this exchange would help to reestablish their bond. With her third eye closed, Satori found it far easier to keep track of Koishi, though perhaps knowing how she sometimes left to dwell outside of reality at times eased her mind. Who knows, maybe that's even where she spent her time writing the book.

She was very interested in reading what Koishi had written about, as well. Hopefully they'd gain a deeper understanding of each other by reading the other satori's tale. Koishi skipped off and Satori returned to her study.

Satori took the story and ready quietly. Though it initially seemed to be less 'inspired by' and more 'a direct copy of' Satori's tale, differences soon became apparent. Time seemed to flow quickly as she became absorbed in reading the story, so much so that Satori hardly noticed Youki pouring her a drink after several hours. The differences were both subtle and profound, and Satori had to admit that Koishi had a truly remarkable writing talent... the extra elements she added blended easily with the story of Medicine Melancholy's rise and fall. If Satori didn't know better, she'd think -herself- the plagiarist.

The Next Day

"Oh! Did she finally finish hers?" Orin saw the simply bound book Satori was reading as she pet Okuu.

"Yeah... her story's interesting... It's kind of telling that she wrote me as the protagonist, though. It's a little eerie, too. It seems to be much the same as mine, but with a bit of fanciful embellishment, as well as, of course, a third person perspective. I'm getting really close to the point where Remilia kills Medicine. Yeah, here I am, sitting in the back of her room, getting ready to distract her to let Remilia get close."

Satori shuddered at the memory. She'd stolen something Medicine herself had stolen, and the doll's pride had led her to lower her defenses ever so slightly. Satori had died as a result, but her death had both given Remilia a chance to slip past the human villagers Medicine had on lookout, and put Satori in the Netherworld to deal with medicine later. It would be interesting to see what sort of twist Koishi would put on it. If nothing else, she wondered just how Koishi would write her sister's death.

Okuu moved aside and allowed Orin, changing into cat form, to sit next to her, that they might share in Satori's warmth. She left her third eye open around them. Their simple natures couldn't care less about grasping the reigns of their destiny... they just wanted to be pet and comforted. Satori's third eye could still accomplish that, at least.

After reading the rest of the chapter, leading up to Satori's own escape, she laughed a bit. "I should have seen -that- coming. I've got to give her credit... Koishi keeps me on my toes." Satori turned to Orin before continuing. She'd told them her own tale while writing it, and was curious what their reactions would be to Koishi's changes. "See, she has me steal-" Satori paused, and her pets looked up at her in confusion.

What? Why did she stop? Orin wondered, and Satori found herself wondering the same thing.

"Oh, sorry... I was just saying instead of stealing some worthless trinket, Koishi has me stealing something of great importance... it's come up before earlier in her story... see, Alice had-" Satori paused again. This was... odd.

Are you ok, Satori?

"Yes, I'm... I'm fine." Although Satori questioned the truth of her own statement. She couldn't seem to talk about the book for some reason... "Well, it starts a while earlier. See, in the story, Alice wasn't originally a normal human, but made, by -"

Orin and Okuu's concern had reached a new extreme. Something isn't right with master... They separated a bit and returned to their human forms.

"Maybe... maybe you should stop reading the book?"

"No no! It's really, compelling! And I mean, I can read it fine." She knew the book Koishi penned her as stealing was 'Alice's Grimoire'... Alice herself had stolen it from some character Koishi had inserted... 'Shinki', if Satori wasn't mistaken. She hadn't had much to do with the story directly yet, but Koishi's version of Satori had learned that Alice was artificially made by this 'Shinki'. In fact, to keep that secret, she'd even... sworn... an... oath...

"Pardon me, you two, but I... -really- think I need to finish reading this." Suddenly Satori was driven by both fear and anticipation. Fear that Koishi's writing went beyond mere words, and indeed could bind her 'characters' to her words... even if they existed outside of them already. Yet... the story... she simply had to know how it ended, though doing so may damn her. For all that had changed lately, Satori still sought knowledge... was still intrigued by mysteries. And this was a grand mystery indeed.

Orin and Okuu returned to their animal forms, and cuddled next to Satori as she continued reading.

"Koishi! There you are... listen, can we talk about your story?" Satori saw her sister and waved her down... though she probably shouldn't have been as surprised as she was at the reply.

"What story?"

"The one you wrote about the incident a while back."

"Huh? Oh, I thought you just wanted me to correct the mistakes you put in your own. You left out a lot of stuff sis... and I thought -I- was the one with a bad memory." Koishi laughed, though it sounded more full than Satori remembered it. Perhaps Satori was simply being blinded by hope, but she could swear Koishi had been expressing emotion occasionally, recently.

Despite the good natured laugh, Satori found herself shaking... was it all true, then? Had Koishi's connection to that 'nonexistence' allowed her remember that which had been banished 'there'?

"Oh, you're cold? Here!" Koishi pulled out a warm salamander cloak, but the warmth did nothing to take away the chill Satori felt in her soul.

She should be dead; The Yama's returning Satori to life had been a temporary condition, yet that little detail had been lost to the history Satori knew. Should she tell the Yama? Should she simply... cast this discovery away? Perhaps Koishi didn't realize she was making it up and merely thought it was real... and yet, why then could Satori not tell her pets of Sariel's book or of Shinki? If she had done as Koishi's story had written, then she couldn't let this become known. There was no alternative then: it would have to remain quiet. After all, what little proof there was could have any other number of causes. People would find their own explanations.

"Koishi, I think perhaps this story should remain between us. It really, deeply touched me personally. I'd like for it to keep that personal feeling." Satori withheld the real reason: the great risk Shinki might yet pose until finally eroded away by unreality. Now, there was no guilt... Satori realized she had redefined what a satori's eye was; it was well within her rights to declare what their moral system was. A satori would be honest and expose lies, yes, but neither would they be wholly bound to report the entire truth. Satori had seen the trouble that could cause; there truly was no place for the satori of old in the world... so she would make a place for herself... for them.

"Sis? Is that really you? It's not like you to hide something." Koishi looked confused at her sister.

"Oh Koishi, but it is." Satori embraced Koishi, hugging her tightly. "If your story was true, then I've hid something truly immense... and needed to. I doubt you truly know which story is real more than I do, and perhaps that's a mystery best left unsolved."

Koishi returned the hug as she nodded in agreement. Koishi wasn't completely healed, but now... now that Satori could begin to experience the world as her sister did, Koishi would get better. Satori felt sure of it. Perhaps her eye would never reopen, but now Satori could see it didn't -need- to. Koishi was becoming a self again. -Her- self, eye or no.

And as Satori and Koishi welcomed each other's embrace, their thoughts drifted to the story which had brought them together. The satoris' tales were but a pair of matching images. When viewed separately, they seemed whole and complete on their page. When viewed together, though, they formed a new image, a new thought, and a new perspective. They created a new sort of truth; one based around more than mere facts.

They Created New Satori.

The End

Closing Comments: Well, here we are. I never thought this would grow past 300000 words when I started it. Heck, I never thought it would reach 100000... I wasn't even sure I would end up publishing it anywhere. Then one day I decided that what the heck, maybe no one will like it, but if even one other person enjoys it, I might as well put up what I write, you know? Hopefully, after reading the entire thing, you were able to like what I did. Apologies for the year long hiatus once again... this very nearly was a dead fic. Before the hiatus, I'd reached the point where I had pretty much figured out the entire ending... which I thought there were no more surprises, and therefore nothing really motivated me to write what I already 'knew' was going to happen. Then I realized that hogging the ending to myself would be pretty rude, and made myself sit down and put these last chapters down.

Only to realize of course, that there -were- still more surprises in store for me, and as I wrote, even the ending that I had planned out from day one began to shift. Elements of the original are there (Yuuka's defeat, for instance, was one of the earliest things I thought of, and Shinki containing Sariel was similarly early in its conception), but several (using Flandre's power to destroy Shinki, Udonge's fate) appeared on their own. So much of this story grew beyond what I had originally envisioned, and I'm glad I finished it to see how it ended, and so you could share in that.

Now, this chapter... I was particularly worried about posting it. Honestly, the previous chapter might well have been a good end to the story. But there were enough loose ends I hadn't gotten to that really ought to have been addressed. Even with this chapter there are many more. The tone here, is of course much lighter... the threats been dealt with (mostly), and we see people returning to their lives, and I feel that was important. Until everything ends, life continues. Not every day is a struggle against a cosmic force, and when war is over, heroes and villains alike continue to exist. They still have paths to walk and goals to achieve like anyone else.

It was a deliberate choice to have the 'what they're doing now scenes' preceed the enormous Shinki-annihilation. Obviously, they're now doing something different, just based on what they would have been doing had Shinki never been a part of their lives. I feel its best for the reader to make their own interpretations of what, for instance, led to the creation of Byakuren's Sorcerer's Scroll in the absence of a Shinki, and how that may or may not have effected other things... or the entire Lunar Capital and its inhabitants. Or, for that matter, what happened to Maribel and Renko. Of course, I have my own interpretations, and if I ever continue this story (Can you believe this entire story up to here was planned as part -one- of -three-?), many of them will come into play. And I might well continue it some day; heaven knows I've got more ideas of what would or could happen next, but that's for the distant future, I think.

Other works I write in the Touhou Setting are going to generally be a similar tone (for that matter, so will my stories in other settings, likely), but particular aspects might change (Say, the reasoning behind the lack of satori)... or might be the same. I've got a lot of conflicting headcanons to put into words, and not all of them fit within this setting.

Anything else I write in this 'verse, I'll try and make clear its in the same one; Quite a bit has changed... but the more things change, the more they stay the same, you know?

If there are any questions about what I was going for at certain points, or if you're curious what aborted plot arcs I had planned or loose ends that are bugging you or 'how the world works' details, I'm still around and I'll try to answer any such questions. Just make it clear you're looking for a response from me or I might assume its rhetorical, and keep in mind my interpretation isn't the only one.

Until next time, everyone. And thank you one last time for reading this. If not for the readers, I'd have never finished it, and then no one would be happy. But I am... and I hope you are, too.